Nightmares Come True
by RaiseYourVoice
Summary: Severus is summoned to a Death Eater meeting and makes a terrible discovery. Voldemort has Harry Potter! How will this change the course of events? AU. Sirius is alive.


**Nightmares Come True**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. Wish I did. But I don't.

**Summary:** Severus is summoned to a Death Eater meeting and makes a terrible discovery. Voldemort has Harry Potter! How will this change the course of events? AU. Sirius is alive.

**Note:** Sirius is alive in this story, although, he is still a fugitive.

Let the story begin!!

Severus' scowl deepened as he began to march toward the entrance of the Dark Lords manor, not that anyone could see it; he was wearing his Death Eater mask. The manor was surrounded by lush grounds and dense forest. It was very remote, but he couldn't tell exactly where the manor was located. His dark mark sent him to this location when he apparated; the burn meaning the Dark Lord wanted his Death Eaters present for something.

Severus' stomach gave a slight lurch as he wondered yet again why the Death Eaters were being summoned. This was not a scheduled meeting day, which made his being summoned all the more unnerving.

As he entered the room, he glanced around at the other occupants. He immediately realized, by the number of black robed Death Eaters that were there, that only the main circle had been called.

Currently, he stood in the throne room. He couldn't yet see the Dark Lord because the other Death Eaters were blocking their master from his view. They were huddled around something, but what?

The throne room was bare except for the large chair at the head of the room. The floors were made of cement and the walls were mostly bare except for a few scattered Wizarding paintings; none of which contained people. The Dark Lord feared being over heard and reported on too much to allow that.

As he neared the huddle of black robes, a few parted to give him access to the main stream of what was going on.

His breath caught in his throat and he was suddenly very happy the Death Eaters wore masks; for he was certain his cover would have been blown in that one instance by his complete expression of what he felt: shock and fear.

There, in the center of the throng of Death Eaters laid the figure of a boy. Severus wanted to tell himself that it couldn't be who he thought; that his mind was playing tricks on him because of his current state of exhaustion from the sleep he'd missed while brewing his potions. But he knew better. His mind was not playing tricks. The black hair, unmistakably Potter's, proved it.

Harry Potter was in the Dark Lords clutches – he was his prisoner. Severus' mind raced as he tried to figure out how this had happened. How had they gotten Potter? The wards surrounding Potter's home would have gone off had a Death Eater entered the vicinity.

Judging by Potter's condition, he'd at least been here a few days. Potter was bloodied and bruised. Severus gave an involuntary shiver. He was very glad he was not Potter right now.

His mind also raced, searching for possible solutions. There was no way, at present time, to get Potter to safety without blowing his cover. But he knew that if Potter continued to be the Dark Lords captive, he'd be hurt much worse; possibly into insanity…if he lived that long.

A hiss brought him from his thoughts.

"Ahh… it seems as though everyone is present," Voldemort said as he sat in his throne. "S-Severus..." He turned to the robed man he somehow knew was his potions master. "Care to enlighten me as to your lateness?"

Severus held back both a groan and a shiver as he was addressed. Sighing he answered, "I had a difficult time of getting away from the Muggle Loving Fool, Dumbledore."

Voldemort nodded, hissing in displeasure at the name. "He does seem to stick his nose where it doesn't belong often, doesn't he?"

"Much agreed," Severus gave a short nod. He sighed as Voldemort took his attention off himself and onto the gathered Death Eaters.

"Thank you for all coming. As you can see, I've finally got that Potter brat in my hands," he hissed proudly, motioning to the prone and abused body lying on the floor. "I know you are all eager to hear of how I managed this."

After several nods, he continued giving a snake-like smile. "Well, it wasn't that difficult. That Muggle loving fool isn't as brilliant as he thinks he is. He left his precious golden boy with family that hates him."

There were several shocked gasps from the gathered Death Eaters. Severus himself was wondering exactly what the Dark Lord meant. As far as anyone in the Wizarding world knew, Potter was well cared for. After all, the Ministry of Magic and Albus Dumbledore himself surely wouldn't leave the treasured Boy-Who-Lived in a bad home. He returned his attention to Voldemort as he began speaking again.

"Surprised?" Voldemort hissed, a happy glint in his ruby eyes. "As was I. It was far too simple. I convinced a Muggle, (he spat the word as though it left a bad taste in his mouth) that he'd be paid a large amount in money if he'd go to the brat's home and somehow get the boy. He did… and it was too simple. He paid the brat's relatives off and they gave the boy over! Just handed him over without caring what happened to him!" Again the gasps rang through the throne room.

Severus was once again glad to be wearing a mask. He'd been shocked into silence twice that night.

"If I may be so bold," the voice of White came just from Severus' left. "What will now happen to the boy?"

An evil grin came over Voldemort's snake-like face. "Don't worry, White. You shall get your fun with him. You all will in due time."

Severus shivered as he heard several happy exclamations at the Dark Lords words. He wanted no part in it and dearly wished he wouldn't have to participate. How could he help in torturing the boy and then look Dumbledore, Lupin or Black or even McGonagall in the eyes again after playing part in hurting Potter? There was no way!

Severus fidgeted with his wand that lay in his pocket as his feet mindlessly took him to the Headmasters office. He was not looking forward to this meeting at all. He did not want to be the one to tell Dumbledore that Potter was with the enemy; namely Voldemort.

Reaching the gargoyle, he muttered the password and stepped on the circling stair case. Reaching the top, he quietly knocked, half hoping Dumbledore wasn't there. His hopes were dashed as the pleasant voice floated through the door, inviting him inside.

Entering the office, his eyes took in the scene before him. He let out a displeased groan as he saw that not only was Dumbledore there, but so were Black and Lupin.

"Severus? Are you alright, my boy?" Dumbledore asked, his twinkling eyes also shining with concern.

Severus gave a shaky nod. "I'm fine, Albus."

"Then what is wrong, Severus?"

Severus again wished he wasn't here. He did not want to be the one to break this news! Sighing and closing his eyes to calm his jumping nerves, he answered. "Albus… I've got some bad news."

"Surely it can't be bad enough to put you in such a state?" Dumbledore said. Severus mentally cursed the old man for knowing him so well. He could read him like a book.

"Albus… The Dark Lord has Potter," Severus answered evenly, then held his breath for the pending blow up. He wasn't disappointed.

"That's not funny! How dare you!" Sirius Black began, but stopped after seeing Severus' expression, realizing it wasn't a lie. Severus saw fear and panic run through Black's blue eyes. "You're not lying."

Severus shook his head. Sirius legs gave way and he fell back into his chair. He hadn't even realized he'd stood.

Severus glanced at the two other people in the office. Dumbledore's eyes were void of the usual twinkle and his elderly face had fallen. Lupin also sat there in a state of shock. He was staring into space, seemingly not seeing what was around him. His normally pale face was even paler then Severus had thought possible. Both of them had fear in their eyes.

"What do we do? We can't leave Harry there!" Sirius said passionately.

Dumbledore sighed, looking far older then Severus had ever seen. "We will try and get him back, Sirius."

"We have to do more then try!!" Sirius said mockingly. Dumbledore continued unfazed.

"We've don't have too many options, Sirius. We have only one spy, and I will not risk him at this time."

Sirius, knowing who that only spy was, turned to Severus, glaring hatefully. Severus knew what he was thinking. Black didn't care for him. He knew this. Black just wanted his godson safe. Severus really couldn't fault Black for that. If his own godson were in Potter's position, he'd want him back at all costs as well…even at the sake of the only spy.

Sirius yelled again, "We cannot leave my godson in that hell hole. He's just a child."

"As I said, Sirius. There isn't much choice for the time being. We will do all we can to rescue Harry, hopefully alive and whole of mind. But that is a possibility," Dumbledore quickly continued as he saw the panic in the younger man increase. "We won't give up, Sirius. I promise you that." Sirius nodded shakily, seeming to deflate in front of them. It was obvious he was devastated.

Severus explained the evening's events and answered their questions before leaving to his rooms and grabbing a bottle of fire whiskey. He needed a drink.

Remus and Sirius had also left shortly after and went back to Grimmauld Place. Sirius was still on the run, so their options were limited as to where they could go. Remus handed a cup of tea to his old school-mate, who sat in the lounge chair in the living room.

To be honest, he looked like hell. His shoulders sagged. His eyes had a haunted look to them, reminiscent of how they looked after he'd escaped Azkaban; and they were red rimmed and glassy from the hours of crying he'd done.

Remus knew his friend was terrified. He was scared himself. He didn't know what he'd do if Harry was killed.

He silently and somewhat morbidly wondered if it wouldn't be better if Harry were killed, then for him to come home mentally damaged and emotionally scarred. Would it be better for Harry to live through that suffering? Even if Harry survived this, no matter the state he was in, would he have a safe place to live? The Dursleys were definitely not going to do. Personally, he wanted to rip them from limb to limb. And the Weasley's were iffy. He knew Harry trusted and cared for the Weasley's. And he knew the Weasley's would take Harry without hesitation. But would it be the best placement? Harry would undoubtedly need help dealing with things. And the Weasley's already had so many children, and Harry would likely need just one-on-one time.

Remus shook his head. He couldn't think on this now. Thinking about Harry, and what he may be suffering brought tears to his eyes. He couldn't afford to break down now, not in front of Sirius.

Dumbledore eyed the tired people in the room. After Severus, Sirius and Remus had left he had called an Order meeting. However, tonight it was held at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He couldn't in good mind hold it at Grimmauld place. Sirius and Remus needed time to themselves. He cleared his throat to gain attention.

"Albus, what is this all about?" Minerva McGonagall asked, looking slightly annoyed at being pulled from sleep so late in the night.

"Tonight, Severus returned from an unscheduled meeting with Voldemort (he ignored the shiver that went through the others). He had some disturbing news." _'__Well, no need in delaying the inevitable__' _he thought. "Voldemort has Harry Potter held captive."

There were several moments of shocked silence. Finally Mrs. Weasley began demanding answers.

"Is Harry okay? Was he hurt when Severus saw him? How did He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named get to him? I thought he was protected! Why didn't we know before now?" The further she got with her questions, the more desperate she seemed. Arthur, who looked scared at the news, began to try and calm his wife. Albus shot him a nod of thanks.

"To answer your questions, Molly, it seems the Ministry and myself made grievous mistakes in our placement of Harry. It would seem, the Dursleys just handed Harry over."

"JUST HANDED HIM OVER?" Molly fumed angrily. Dumbledore made a mental note to keep her, and her family away from the Dursley family if he wanted them to continue living… as tempting as it may be.

He continued to answer her other questions. "Severus said Harry was not in the best condition," he held up his hand to stop anyone from commenting, though he could see several of them were bursting to. "We did not expect Harry to be fully unharmed if he were to be captured. But Severus said it could be much worse. He also said Harry couldn't have been there for more then a few days."

"But the protections, Albus?" Mad-Eye-Moody asked. He seemed angry. Though he hadn't spent much time with Harry, he'd heard lots about the boy from others who had.

"It would seem that Voldemort (another shiver) employed the assistance of a Muggle to obtain Harry. That is why the wards did not take effect and warn us of the danger Harry was in."

"How are we going to get Harry out of there?" Arthur asked, looking very worried.

Albus sighed tiredly. The lack of sleep was getting to him. "I do not yet know, Arthur. I can tell you we are not giving up hope. We will do our best to find a way to rescue Harry. For now, though, I recommend you go to your homes and attempt to get some sleep. You will likely need it in the coming weeks." With that, he stood and left them to it. They could leave as they wished.

"Umm… Professor?" Turning around, Albus saw the four Weasley children that were Order members. Bill, Charlie, Fred and George. He didn't know who had spoken to him, though.

"Albus, please." He corrected. "I am no longer your professor."

"Mmm… Albus." Bill spoke. "We were wondering… how are Sirius and Remus taking this?"

Dumbledore smiled sadly. "As well as they can. They're understandable devastated and worried."

"Do you think we'll get Harry back alive?" One of the twins, Albus couldn't tell who, asked.

"I do not know. I surely hope so," he sighed. He couldn't leave them with that thought. They needed to believe Harry would come home alive in order to be of any help. "Just don't give up hope." After they nodded, he bid them good night and left the room himself to try and get some sleep, even though he doubted he'd get the sleep he knew he needed.

Arthur sat on the bed he and his wife shared, holding Molly as she sobbed. Over an hour had passed since they'd returned to the Burrow from Hogwarts and Molly hadn't stopped sobbing. He'd cast a silencing charm so that she wouldn't wake the sleeping kids. It also allowed them some peace. He knew she was almost cried out for the night.

Not fifteen minutes later did her cries stop that she was leaning in his arms heavily, her breathing evened out. Sighing, he carefully and tenderly shifted her position and weight until she was lying on the bed. He placed one of her hand made quilts over his wife and leaned down and kissed her forehead. He doused all the lamps in the room except for one before quietly leaving the room and shutting the door with a creak and a click.

Now he could hear his elder sons, minus Percy, talking downstairs. He knew they too were concerned for Harry. To an extent, he knew they considered Harry as a younger brother. He couldn't imagine how thy felt now. All he knew was his family was going to take the news hard. He was particularly concerned for Ron.

Reaching the bottom of the stairs, he entered the living room. Bill, Charlie, Fred and George all sat around whispering to one another.

"Hey," he said quietly as he sat down with them.

"Hi," Bill answered.

"Dad? Are we going to tell Ron and Ginny?" Fred asked.

George continued, "Will Hermione be told?"

Arthur sighed for what seemed the hundredth time that night. "I think its best that we do tell them."

"Tell us what?"

Arthur paled. Could Ron have worse timing? If Ron had to find out about Harry, he didn't want for him to find out like this. Taking a deep breath he motioned for Ron to come closer and sit down.

Ron noticed something was off immediately. They all looked tense and upset. Sitting down, he asked again what was going on.

"Son," his dad began. Ron held his breath. He didn't like his father's tone of voice. "Something's happened… something bad..."

"Who's hurt?" Ron asked. His mind began to race through the people he was closest to. His dad and Bill and Charlie all exchanged glances, seeming to have a silent conversation.

"Ron, it's Harry," Bill said quietly, reaching out and placing a comforting hand on Ron's shoulder.

"Is he okay?" Ron's voice shook with worry and fear began to grip his insides.

"Ron… Harry's missing. He's been captured by He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named," Arthur told his youngest son, watching him closely.

"No," Ron said, breathing harshly. "No! It can't be. Have you checked the Dursleys?! He's got to be there," Ron said hopefully, frantically.

"No, Ron. I wish it were true. Merlin, do I wish it were true. But Harry's with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named," Arthur said quietly. His heart clenched painfully as he saw tears sparkling, but not falling from Ron's eyes. They all jumped in surprised as Ron pulled away from Bill's grasp.

"It's not true!" Ron cried out. "It can't be!"

"Ron." Arthur stood up. He could tell Ron was panicked and scared and confused.

"Dad! Please tell me it's a joke! Please tell me Fred and George a pulling some mean joke!" Ron turned to his twin brothers. He didn't actually believe they were pulling a joke on him. Not about this. They loved to pull pranks, but nothing that would hurt someone. But he wished they were; because if they were, Harry would be safe.

"Ron." Arthur tried again. Finally, whatever was keeping Ron from crying broke and a choked sob escaped him. Arthur grabbed his son in a hug and held him as he cried.

Harry groaned as he blearily opened his eyes. The first thing he noticed was that he was cold. So cold that he couldn't stop shivering. It took him several moments to remember what was going on. Voldemort had him.

He gasped as he tried to move. His left leg was broken in several places when he'd been brought to this place. It severely hampered him from being able to do much. He wasn't sure how long he'd been there already.

All he really knew was that he'd been at the Dursleys for three weeks when his Uncle had entered his room and told him that he was leaving. No amount of protesting worked. Uncle Vernon had thrown the few scarce belongings around the room into his Hogwarts trunk and picked up the truck and dragged Harry from Dudley's second bedroom.

Once downstairs, Harry had continued his protests, but Uncle Vernon ignored them. He told Harry that he was going with this man (a tall, well dressed and slightly beefy man who stood in the living room) and that he was now that man's problem to deal with.

The man, Mr. Montgomery, that was what he said his name was, then suggested to Vernon that they get Harry to drink something to help calm him. Harry refused. Yes, he agreed. He was panicking. But he was not going to take anything from this man!

Unfortunately for him, his Uncle agreed and actually helped, yes helped!, the man get whatever the concoction was down Harry's throat.

Harry highly suspected it was a severe form of calming drought laced with a light sleeping drought. After Harry had swallowed it, he felt his body relax. That was anything but what he felt inside. He was terrified. This man had to be a wizard or something. There was no way that stuff he'd swallowed was something Muggle.

Once Harry was placid, he was led to a waiting car, buckled in, and then the man left. Harry wanted to get out of the car, but his body wouldn't listen to him. Mr. Montgomery returned moments later with his trunk and they drove off. Harry dropped off to sleep sometime soon after.

He had woken in a large room that was mostly made of concrete. To his horror, Voldemort was there with a few of his Death Eaters. What happened after that, he preferred not to think about. He just wanted out of here.

He felt himself gagging. He guessed it was from the fear he felt. Maybe he'd gotten himself so worked up that he had gotten himself physically sick.

"Getting sick is probably not the best thing to do at this time," a voice hissed.

It was then that Harry noticed his cell door was open and there stood Voldemort and two black robed men. He stiffened instinctively.

"Well," Voldemort had turned to the Death Eater to his right. "I did promise you some fun with him, Avery."

"Thank you, My Lord," Avery answered, giving a slight bow and coming further in the room. The door closed behind him and Harry watched as the man took his robes off. "These things will just get in the way," he said quietly as he folded the black material and placed it in a corner. "Now," he pulled something from behind him. It was some kind of thick material. Avery unfolded the material revealing its contents and Harry froze. "Let the fun begin." Harry felt himself beginning to panic again. It was knives. All sorts of knives of different shapes and sizes.

Almost two weeks had passed since they'd been told of Harry's disappearance.

Currently, Ron sat in his room. He watched as Hermione slept on the bed that Harry usually occupied when he stayed at the Burrow. She'd fallen asleep only a while before.

Hermione had arrived at the Burrow earlier that morning. She'd just gotten back from her vacation with her parents and was told of Harry's disappearance, and she'd taken it hard; almost as hard as Ron. She'd ended up crying herself to sleep and his parents put her to bed in Ron's room as they got a place settled for her in Ginny's room.

It wasn't fair. He shook his head and did his best to keep the tears from flowing again. There had been a lot of crying since Harry went missing. The whole Weasley family (minus Percy) was devastated.

Bill and Charlie had only met Harry a few times over the years because they both had lives of their own and had been too busy with work to spend more time to get to know the be-speckled boy. But they had gotten to know him through their younger siblings, who viewed Harry as a younger brother; or in Ginny's case, another older brother.

Sirius, Ron knew, was barely functioning. Remus and Dumbledore had a lot to do with him still holding it together.

Both Remus and Dumbledore were having a difficult time as well. Ron suspected that the only thing keeping them from falling completely apart was dealing with Sirius.

Ron scrubbed angrily at his eyes. None of this was fair. Harry should be at the Burrow, safe with them. Not being held by a maniac wizard and having Merlin knew what done to him.

They were starting their seventh year of Hogwarts in September. He, Hermione and Harry were all looking forward to their last year at Hogwarts. Though they were excited, Ron knew his friends had also been scared about their seventh year. He, himself was scared. All they knew was Hogwarts. But what about after Hogwarts?

Ron found himself terrified of starting the new school year. He and Hermione couldn't start his last year without Harry there. It wasn't right.

A knock at the door interrupted his thoughts, and the door opened. His mom stepped through.

"I thought you might be hungry," she said as she set a trey of soup on the bedside table. She glanced at the sleeping Hermione. "There's a warming charm on the soup to keep it warm until she wakes."

"Thanks Mum," Ron answered quietly.

Sirius sat in his room at Grimmauld Place and watched the rain fall outside. He could hear the bustling of his long time friend, Remus, moving around.

After little over two weeks, the search for Harry had greatly diminished. The Ministry, which had had a large group of Aurors searching for Harry, had stopped their search. They believed that no one would survive being with Voldemort for two weeks; especially Harry Potter, who had frequently been a target of the feared snake-like man.

To Sirius' utter relief, the Order had not finished searching for Harry; unlike the Ministry, who all but stated Harry was dead.

Sirius was desperately grateful to have Remus and Dumbledore in his life. They'd both helped him through so much in the past several weeks, and they put up with his temper tantrums and harsh words. That was more then most did. Most of the Order would steer clear from Sirius when they realized he was in one of his moods.

"Sirius," a knock came from the door, and Sirius tore his eyes from the cascading rain on the window glass.

"Yeah?"

The door opened with a click and Remus entered, balancing a tray in his arms. He smiled as he came fully into the room.

"Hungry?"

Sirius nodded. His eating habits hadn't been the best since Harry's disappearance, but currently he was hungry, though he doubted he could handle much.

"Thought you might be," Remus said, offering a small tired smile as he laid the tray down next to Sirius. Sirius was happy to note that it was just light soup with some bread on the side.

"Thanks."

"No problem."

Albus threw the days issue of the Daily Prophet down on his desk. Ever since the Ministry had learned of Harry's disappearance, the Daily Prophet had published daily articles about Harry, his disappearance, and presumed (by the Ministry) death.

Albus had tried convincing them otherwise. He knew Harry wasn't dead yet. Severus, his spy for the Order, had told him as much. Severus hadn't seen the boy but a few times since his disappearance, but his reports about the boy's health were never good.

He'd confided that Harry looked much worse each time he's seen them. Albus wasn't really surprised by this news. He couldn't be. He'd been around during Voldemort's first reign and was too familiar with how he treated his prisoners. And he knew that Harry definitely wasn't treated well because of the anger Voldemort already had for the boy.

It was disheartening to hear. It was scary to think about. But he wasn't giving up hope.

He cared for Harry. Not just as a student, but more as family; a grandson, of sorts. And that made all of this much more difficult.

Severus had been to see him several times since they'd discovered Harry was in Voldemort's clutches. Severus didn't like James Potter, and that dislike, possibly even hate, though Albus hated to think it was that bad, had transferred onto Harry when he'd started Hogwarts. But Albus also knew Severus didn't want the boy to die. He'd told him as much.

Albus sighed and again began going through the files on his desk.

Harry shivered and desperately wished he had a way to get warm. He couldn't even hold himself in a ball to get himself a little warm because it was too painful. They'd used Muggle means to hurt him, curses and occasionally potions. The potions were usually used to help patch him up a little, though why they wanted to do that, he didn't know. They were just going to hurt him again.

He hated it when his cell door opened. That always told him that pain was coming. Sometimes they'd take him back to the throne room and hurt him; others, they'd do it in the cell.

He hated it when they'd douse all the lamps, leaving him in complete darkness. Leaving him with being able to better hear what was around him. He could hear a drip from somewhere in the corner of the back wall when they did this. He could hear their footsteps sooner when they came to get him when it was dark.

He wasn't regularly fed and watered. But he hated when they would force food and water in him. He knew it was necessary for him to eat and drink, but he found himself not hungry or thirsty. He guessed it was from the near starvation at the Dursleys, and the continued starvation here.

He hated when he was left with Avery. Avery liked to cause pain. And he was well skilled in using his knives.

He thought often about his friends. Were they okay? He thought about Sirius. He thought about his professors and the upcoming school year.

Would he be going to his seventh year at Hogwarts?

Would he even live that long?

Did anyone know he was missing?

Over a month had passed since Harry went missing when they finally got the location of where he was being held.

After a long talk with Severus, Dumbledore place a tracer on him before he apparated to the location Voldemort was at when he was called. They were trying to make it appear that it was done without Severus' knowledge so that his cover would not be blown. Severus had agreed to the plan and had also gone through all the possible turn of events they could think of to hopefully be prepared enough to accomplish the rescue mission without loosing their only spy.

The Order members all assembled to head out for the rescue, minus Fred, George, Molly and Sirius. Molly didn't want Fred and George going and had put up such a fierce argument that Fred and George reluctantly and grudgingly agreed. Molly wasn't going because Arthur would likely not be able to concentrate on the task at hand because he'd be too worried about his wife, and Molly was standing by to help Madam Pomfrey patch up the Order members when they returned. Sirius wasn't going just in case the Ministry ended up getting involved for some possible reason, and Dumbledore didn't want him risking his freedom. It had taken a lot of arguing to get Sirius to agree to this. Sirius wanted to be there to help his godson, understandably so. But Dumbledore had won the argument when he'd said he didn't want Sirius getting found out and being taken into Ministry custody, thus leaving Harry without his godfather.

Severus sighed as he walked into the throne room. It looked like the main circle of Death Eaters were again gathered. He wondered why.

"Ahh… Severus," Voldemort hissed, causing the hairs on Severus' neck to rise. "Go with Samson and get the Potter brat." Severus gave a curt nod and followed Samson back out of the room.

'Now may be the chance to sneak Potter out,' he thought as they entered the hallway.

Nearing the cell, he wondered why the Dark Lord wanted Potter back out in the throne room. Typically he'd only have a few Death Eaters in the throne room when he had Potter there. The only time he knew of when the whole inner circle was there, was when he'd first learned of Potters capture. So what was planned for tonight? Either way, he had no intention of allowing whatever was planned to come to pass.

He'd been told by Dumbledore to not risk his position as a spy unnecessarily, but to also get Potter out. This would likely ruin his cover as a spy… but maybe not.

Maybe he could tell the Dark Lord that he'd been placed under the Imperious curse. Other Death Eaters had gotten away with it and were still alive. And he worked for Dumbledore, someone the Dark Lord wouldn't question of casting such a dark spell in order to bring him down. Yes, maybe that would work.

Samson and he turned the corner, which he knew led to the cells. As they walked pass the cells, he knew there were very few prisoners. Potter could possibly be the only one at this time. There were usually groans and cries and whimpers when they passed, because the prisoners feared them. But now, there were none.

Samson stopped once they reached the solitary cells. These cells has solid doors and allowed them to deprive the occupants of light. He shuddered. He certainly wouldn't want to be held in one of them.

Finally, after several moments of going through the keys, Samson inserted one into the lock and unlocked the door. The light from the hallway illuminated the cell, and he could see a small huddled form in the corner, but it was too far away, and too shaded for him to determine the amount of damage the individual suffered from.

Pulling out his wand, he cast the stunning spell and confusion spell. Samson fell to the ground with a thud. Now, he was out of the way and wouldn't remember what happened. And both spells were neutral, something that Dumbledore (had he truly cast the Imperious curse to rescue Potter) would not have any trouble casting.

He dragged Samson's stiff body further into the cell to hopefully delay being discovered that he'd gone against the Dark Lords orders.

He reached Potter moments later and couldn't contain the gasp of surprise. Potter had obviously lost serious weight. He wasn't much more then skin and bones, and for a moment he wondered if the boy was even still alive. But the movement of his chest told him Potter was alive. He was covered in bruises and cuts. Many of the cuts would likely leave scarring because of the severity of them and some were even infected.

Reaching down, he felt for a pulse, but pulled back when Potter stiffened and his green eyes snapped open.

"Potter?"

There was no answer.

"Potter, its Professor Snape."

A raspy voice answered him. "P'fessor?"

Severus breathed a sigh of relief. At least Potter seemed coherent. That was a good sign.

"Yes. Look… I'm going to get you out of here. But first you need to drink these for me." He pulled some vials from his robes. Healing drought, strengthening drought and a sip of calming drought to prevent the boy from panicking. "Can you do that?"

After a moment, Potter nodded so he uncorked the vials and held them up to Potters lips. The boy drink them dutifully, only gagging a few times. When he'd finished, he made Potter drink a stomach soother. It wouldn't do to have the boy drink all those potions only to throw them up.

"Okay, can you stand?" Severus asked, holding out a hand to help him up. Potter shook his head. "Why not?" He asked annoyed. Not exactly annoyed with Potter, but the situation.

"M' leg is broken," Potter answered in the same raspy quiet voice.

Blowing through his teeth, Severus nodded and began to check the breaks the boy talked about. He ignored the flinches Potter gave at this. Finally he felt what Potter was talking about. His legs had obviously been broken several times then half healed, and he'd probably suffer from a lifetime limp because of it.

"Okay, I'll help you walk. Just lean on me." He began to help Potter to stand. He noticed that Potter didn't seem at all comfortable with being touched but he ignored it. Finally Potter stood and Severus had his right arm under his shoulders to keep the boy standing. He held his wand in his left hand.

As they exited the cell Snape froze and heard Potter gasp beside him.

There in the Hallway stood four Death Eaters. Immediately they grabbed Potter away from Snape and knocked Snape to the ground and took his wand from him.

"What do you think you were doing, Snape?" One of them asked. Michaels, Snape recognized the voice. Snape kept quiet. "Alright, we've now got two prisoners. More fun for us!"

Snape kept going through how to get out of this mess now. He knew that if Dumbledore didn't hear from him soon that the Order would be coming in. So there still may be a chance.

Entering the throne room, Snape quickly prayed. He didn't know who exactly he was praying to, and he doubted anyone would listen to his prayers anyway after all the crimes and bad he had committed, but maybe they would listen to him for Potter's sake. Potter was still a kid. He hadn't done anything bad enough to deserve death.

"Ahh," Snape closed his eyes as he recognized the speaker; it was the Dark Lord. "So you, Severus, are the spy?" Severus kept his mouth firmly closed, determined not to answer. "I knew there was a spy, I just didn't know until now, who. Though, I admit, I wouldn't have suspected you." The Dark Lord gave a evil smile. "Well, no matter. Now I know. And you will pay for it." Severus shivered. That did not sound good.

"I believe you know why you're here, Harry." He said the name mockingly. Severus chanced a glance at Potter and noticed he was shaking quite bad and it dawned on Severus. The Dark Lord planned on killing him tonight; and would probably kill Severus along with Potter.

The Dark Lord turned to his right toward the back of the gathered Death Eaters. Severus followed his gaze and spotted Peter Pettigrew; he furrowed his brow in wonderment. Why did the Dark Lord seemed pleased with the rat? "You," the Dark Lord addressed Pettigrew, who also seemed very please with himself. "Have done well, Peter. You will be well rewarded." Severus cursed. Pettigrew was the one who'd told on him. It had to be!

BANG!!

Everyone in the throne room looked toward the entrance. There stood several of the Order members already moving to take cover from the inevitable income of curses from the Death Eaters. The Death Eaters holding Severus released him knowing he was no threat, after all, he didn't have a wand.

Severus ducked as a silver curse came flying over his head. Standing again he made his way carefully but quickly toward Potter, who was still being held by one Death Eater. Severus knew this was because the Death Eaters knew that if they lost Potter, the Dark Lord would be very, very angry; and they would most definitely be punished.

Finally reaching the boy and the Death Eater who held him, Severus easily, too easily, swept him from his feet, in the process also knocking Potter to the ground. The Death Eater who had been holding Potter had been distracted by the surrounding fight between Order members and Death Eaters.

Unluckily for Severus, the Dark Lord also noticed what was happening and he pointed his wand toward Potter, not willing to loose the boy to the Order. "Avada-" Severus jumped. "Kedava!" and the green spell hit Severus squarely in the chest.

Harry sat wide-eyed in shock at his fallen professor. He couldn't believe it! The man who had hated him for the past six years… had just given his live for him! It took him several seconds to pull out of his shocked state and realize he was still in the midst of a ongoing battle. He looked up at Voldemort, who too, had a shocked look on his face. Harry guessed that was the only reason he hadn't yet cast the killing curse at him.

Looking around he was elated to find a wand that was laying in the limp hand of the Death Eater that Snape had knocked out. He ignored the pain that the movement cost him and grabbed for the wand and was happy to feel the wood in his hand. Holding his arm up and pointing it at Voldemort, he saw Voldemort beginning to raise his wand. Harry yelled as loudly as he could, "Avada-Kedavra!" and watched as the green light soared at Voldemort.

His ruby red eyes widened almost comically as the green spell came soaring towards him and attempted to jump out of the way… but the spell hit him and moments later his body went limp. As Harry saw him go limp, he felt exhausted and knew that wasn't good. He was still surrounded by a battle, though many of the people near him had stopped battling and were staring wide-eyed at the corpse of the former Dark Lord. Harry knew he only had moments before they'd remember he was in the room, and who knew what would happen then.

Sure enough, the first Death Eater, who stood about eight feet away and had been battling Charlie turned to face him and raised his wand.

"Stupfey!" Somebody to his left yelled and the spell hit the Death Eater, who then fell to the ground with a sickening thud. Harry turned in the direction of the voice that had cast the spell and could have cried in relief. It was Remus, who was now running toward him.

"Harry! Oh Merlin!" Remus cried as he reached the boy. Several expressions passed his face; happiness, sadness, worry and a little fear.

Harry tore his eyes away from the werewolf and saw that the Death Eaters were again battling the Order members.

Remus fell to his knees next to Harry and began looking him over. Quickly he began to pull something from his robes. "Come on, Harry. Grab hold, it'll take us to Hogwarts."

"We can't leave them here!" Harry glanced around at the Order members who were still fighting.

"Yes we can!" Remus insisted urgently. "They'll be okay. They're trained to fight. Now grab hold!"

Harry reached for the thick parchment, which he knew was a portkey. He hated portkeys. Remus whispered 'Refuge,' and he felt the familiar tug at his navel.

Sirius, Molly, Fred and George were all going crazy with anxiousness at Grimmauld Place. Sirius paced the living room as Fred and George sat on the floor, playing a game of chess, attempting to get their minds off of the battle they knew was going on. Ron, Hermione and Ginny were all upstairs in Ron's room; and Molly was in the kitchen with Madam Pomfrey. Molly, Sirius was sure, was probably busying herself cooking.

Though only an hour had passed since the rest of the Order had left Grimmauld Place, it seemed much, much longer to Sirius. He felt that if he was cooped up in that house without any information on his godson he'd pull out all his hair.

He almost lost his balance when a roar erupted from the fire place and the green flames jumped into the air and someone stepped out, but he managed to regain his balance in time. It was Remus. He looked a little worse for wear, and definitely tired, but thankfully uninjured.

"Have you gotten Harry?" Sirius immediately asked after the quick assessment of his friend's health. He could hear the creak of the kitchen door as Molly and Madam Pomfrey came out and the pounding of footsteps as the kids came flying down the stairs.

Remus nodded and gave a tired reassuring smile. "Yeah, we got Harry out."

"Well? Is he okay?" Fred…or George, Sirius didn't know which, asked.

Remus' smile faltered a little and Sirius felt his hear leap into his throat.

"He was taken to St. Mungos." Remus said quietly. "The healers are taking care of him at the moment. I don't know to what extent he was injured though."

"How did he look?" Molly asked anxiously as she wrung her hands through the apron tied around her waist.

"He was conscious and coherent. But he was definitely hurt. How, I don't yet know," Remus answered before raising his hand to halt any other questions. "As I said, I don't know any more on Harry; there was one fatality from the Order."

"Who?" Madam Pomfrey asked.

"Severus." After a moment he continued. "He died protecting Harry. He gave Harry enough time to take out Voldemort."

"So…" Ron asked from the stairs. "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is dead?"

Remus gave a chuckle. "Yes, Ron. He's gone. And I think it's okay to call him Voldemort now." Ron gave an uncertain smile which Remus was glad to see. The youngest red-headed boy hadn't smiled at all since Harry went missing, preferring to keep himself in his room all the time. "There's more good news," he turned to face Sirius. "They caught Peter."

Sirius' eyes widened. "Really?" He asked hopefully. Remus nodded.

"He's in Ministry custody already and has already been questioned. The Ministry will release a statement tomorrow about it but they've given you a pardon. I know you're eager to see Harry; the Ministry sent a few Aurors, who are now waiting at Mungos, so there won't be any trouble for you if you go see Harry." Remus ginned as he saw Sirius give an even larger grin. It made him look a lot younger. Remus hadn't seen Sirius give a grin like that since before Voldemort had killed James and Lily; it was nice to see it back on his old friend's face. "So, are you ready to go?"

"Absolutely!"

"Can we come too?" Hermione asked from her place next to Ron, hopeful looks on all their faces. Molly answered.

"Tomorrow maybe, dear. Right now lets give Sirius some time with him and allow him to get some rest." Sirius sent Molly a grateful smile before following Remus and flooing to St. Mungos.

The Aurors definitely came in handy when they walked through St. Mungos toward the waiting room that had been provided by the magical hospital for them. The people in St. Mungos; patients, healers and anyone else who happened to be there all stood with uncertain looks about them. Even though they'd been forewarned that Sirius Black was an innocent man, it was difficult to change what had become almost an instinct. They'd spent so many years believing the man of murder that they couldn't yet imagine him as being innocent.

In the waiting room, only Remus and Sirius stood there. Food and drink had been provided by the St. Mungos staff for them, but neither could eat anything. Finally almost thirty minutes later, the Healer arrived and introduced himself as Climpson Garner. He explained Harry's injuries and then took them into Harry's room.

When the door opened, Sirius almost collapsed at the sight of his godson. Harry lay awake, barely. He had some bruising that the healer had earlier told them about that had been too deep to fully heal. His right hand and wrist were wrapped and his left hand was also wrapped up. Healer Garner had explained that the bones in his hands had been broken and healed and re-broken several times. Because his captors had only half-healed his injuries, Healer Garner had needed to re-brake many of the bones, or re-open the wounds then heal them the best he could in order to let them properly heal. Harry was also severely malnourished, and the healer had told them that would take a while to deal with. Possibly even a few years to get him on track again.

Sirius couldn't help but see how small Harry looked laying there. Harry seemed so unsure and even frightened of everything. His eyes had darted around as soon as the door had opened and when he caught sight of Sirius, he sat there staring at him. Sirius stared back.

"I'll leave you two," Healer Garner said, glancing from his patient to his patient's Godfather. "There's a sleeping drought on the table there." Remus nodded in acknowledgment.

Sirius made the first move. Taken three long strides he reached Harry and gently pulled him into a hug. He couldn't help the tears that fell. After over a month of searching for his godson, he finally had him in his arms. And he was alive. He noticed the wetness in his shirt and knew Harry was crying too.

After almost five minutes, he pulled back and looked at Harry. The green-eyed boy looked absolutely and utterly exhausted. Sirius smiled and reached out and gently brushed the tears from Harry's face. He couldn't help but frown at the flinch Harry gave.

"Sorry," Harry said a moment later, fear flashing though his eyes. Sirius smiled reassuringly. He knew he shouldn't be surprised. He knew they would have a lot to work through and that it would be tough. But he didn't care. He had Harry back. Voldemort was dead. He was free. Together they could deal with the past and heal.

"That's okay. Don't worry about it." He reached over to the side table and picked up the vial and uncorked it. "You need to rest." He could immediately see Harry's reluctance. "It's okay. It'll be okay. I'll be right with you. I won't leave, okay?" After several long moments, Harry nodded and he held the vial to Harry's lips. "Just a sip."

Sirius pulled the vial away and set it back on the desk when Harry finished. He watched as Harry's eyes began to droop and smiled. Finally, Harry's eyes fell closed and a moment later his breathing had evened out. Bending down, he placed a gently kiss on his godsons forehead.

A few hours later, Sirius, Remus and Dumbledore sat in Harry's hospital room. Harry was still soundly asleep, with Sirius gently grasping his bandaged right hand.

Dumbledore was the first to break the silence that had fallen on them. "So, Sirius, what are your plans now?"

Sirius sighed and ran his free hand through his shoulder length wavy hair. "I think it's best if we leave the country." Dumbledore nodded; he didn't seem surprised by the news.

"Where do you think you will go?" Dumbledore asked.

"I don't know," Sirius answered biting his bottom lip in thought.

"If I may make a suggestion?" Dumbledore asked. "I've got property in a small Scotland town. It's a rather nice house and it's got a community. It's a completely Muggle area as well. At least take it in consideration. You are free to use it until you set up a place of your own." After several moments, Sirius nodded.

"I appreciate that, Albus. I really do." Dumbledore nodded.

"No problem, my boy." Severus turned his gaze toward Harry.

"You are free to come as well, Remus. I'm sure Harry would like to have you there. I know I would," Sirius said to the werewolf.

Remus nodded with a smile. "I think I'd like that."

"When do you plan to leave?" Dumbledore asked, tearing his gaze from Harry to Sirius.

"As soon as possible, Albus," Sirius said sounding tired. "The healer said we could leave any time. He's already told me what Harry needs to continue recovering. And I think its best we're out of here before morning. The press will undoubtedly be here looking for us and there's no way Harry can recover dealing with them." Dumbledore nodded in agreement.

**He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is DEAD!!**

By: Hannah Jackson

_Yes! That__'__s right! He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is finally gone! It all happened last night as a secret group called the Order of the Phoenix attacked He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named__'__s hide out and recovered Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived!_

_Not much is known about the elusive Order of the __Phoenix__. The Daily Prophet has learned that it is headed by the Headmaster of __Hogwarts__School__ of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Albus Dumbledore. We got this exclusive interview with the __'__Order-Head/Headmaster__' __himself just hours after the attack:_

"_It is true, Voldemort is dead!__" _

_(Insert picture of Albus Dumbledore)_

_When asked what the Order of the __Phoenix__ is, he had this to say, __"__The Order of the __Phoenix__ was first created during Voldemort__'__s first reign and contained many select individuals. These individuals secretly, and in many cases publicly, fought against Voldemort__'__s forces.__"_

"_We could honestly have not done with without their help.__" __He refused to comment any further on the matter._

_When asked about the Orders part in rescuing the Boy-Who-Lived: __"__Yes, we did play part in rescuing Mr. Potter,__" __he confirmed._

_We asked him how Harry Potter is doing. __"__Mr. Potter is healing and is with his Godfather.__" __But he refused to say anymore, only saying that it was up to Mr. Potter and his Godfather about what they would say._

_We now wonder, will Harry Potter be able to recover from his ordeal? As we__'__ve reported in the past, Mr. Potter was captured over a month ago from his relative's home, and has since been kept at an unknown location. We do not know of the details of his captivity currently, but we don__'__t doubt that he suffered. The question now is, will he be able to recover from these events? All that we can say is we certainly hope so. _

_We, here at the Ministry, would like to thank him for his courage and for finally ending our terror of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named._

_Needless to say, he can no longer be called the Boy-Who-Lived, but the Man (after all, he can only be a man after what he__'__s overcome) Who-Defeated-The-Dark-Lord._

_On further news, Sirius Black, the infamous man who was imprisoned in Azkaban for supposedly murdering twelve Muggles and his former mate, Peter Pettigrew, and for having a hand in the murders of James and Lily Potter is INNOCENT. Yes, innocent. Last night, during the raid, many Death Eaters were captured, and one of them was the true culprit of the crimes Mr. Black was imprisoned for. Also well reported on, Mr. Black was the first to personally break out of Azkaban which is guarded by Dementors._

_Who is the true criminal? Peter Pettigrew! We__'__ve learned that Mr. Pettigrew was secretly an animagus. We__'__ve exclusively learned Pettigrew__'__s animagus form is a rat. We__'__ve also discovered he severed his own finger to fake his own death. We do not yet know when he learned how to become an animagus. Mr. Pettigrew is currently being held in the Ministry of Magic pending punishment._

_We do not yet know what will come in the future. All we can be certain of is that things are most definitely brighter._

_The following letter was received by the Daily Prophet from Deputy Headmistress Minerva McGonagall, and was given to her by former student Sirius Black, who is also Harry Potters godfather._

To Whom it May Concern,

My name is Sirius Black. I know that many of you will recognize it, for I have seen many of the articles printed about myself in the past.

I do not have all that much to say. You all unfairly accused me of murdering people. You accused me of having part in murdering my best friends. You didn't even give me a trial. I could have been spared twelve years in Azkaban if the Ministry of Magic's Wizengamont had taken just a few minutes to give me veritaserum. My godson, Harry Potter, could have grown up with me, like he should have. My other best friend, Remus Lupin, could have helped raise Harry. He's had just as difficult life as the rest of us; in some ways, possibly even more so. He's been unfairly judged by most of you, all for being a werewolf, something that had no effect whatsoever except for once a month.

As I sit here now, I know I could point fingers for the wrongs that have been done to myself, my friends, and my godson. But that would be useless. I cannot find myself angry, which I find shocking. I've spent years being angry at the lot of you.

But I realize it is useless for me to be angry now. Things will be better now for me and those I care for.

As you read this, my godson, best friend and I are out of the country. I do not know if we will return. We may never return. Please do not search for us. That is the only thing I ask. We've earned the right to live our lives undisturbed.

Sirius Black – Former Azkaban inmate, prankster at heart, and best of all, Godfather

**The End**

**A/N:** Well, there is Nightmares Come True! Twenty four pages! Yeah! I hope you all enjoyed it! Please take the time to review and please read the notes written. Thank you for reading Nightmares Come True!!

Betaed by: **Nita**

THANK YOU soo much **Nita**!! You're fantastic!!

A Sequel?: Yes! There will be a sequel. This is meant to be a 3 part series. Nightmares Come True / After the Nightmare / Nightmares Begin Again.

Will Harry, Sirius and Remus return to the Wizarding world?: We'll see.

What are Harry's injuries and will he fully recover?: A full list of Harry's injuries will come, but they will leak through as they story goes. As to his recovery, he will recover, but not fully. I don't believe that he could possibly fully recover from such an event as being captured. He will always have issues.

Is Sirius actually free?: Yes! He's free!

Is Snape really dead?: Yes he is. Sorry to the Snape fans. (Personally, I'm one too! I've even got icons on www(dot)boywholived(dot)piczo(dot)com that say 'I trust Snape,' and 'Snape Fan' Just replace the (dot)'s with periods. Personally, I'm at odds if I believe Snape is actually evil. I'm hoping he's not!

Why did Harry, Sirius and Remus leave?: Sirius doesn't believe that Harry will ever be able to recover if he's in the Wizarding world. He knows the press and general public will hound them until they give answers; and he knows that Harry will never have any semblance to normalcy if he stays in the Wizarding world. So for his godson's peace and for his own, he decided it was best to leave. He invited Remus to come because Remus is his last remaining best friend from school.

Will they still have contact with the Wizarding world?: Maybe.

When will the sequel be posted?: As soon as it's finished. It will be a one to two shot. But the third part of the story will take longer to come out. I'm still trying to figure out how that story will go. I want to finished Harry Snape or Life Changed before I release the third story first. Harry Snape is almost finished. And Life Changed is half through.

Can we send suggestions or ask questions?: Absolutely! I have a Harry Potter forum. You can find the link on my Profile page. It's a free forum and its FREE to sign up. You can not see the full forum unless you are a member.

Thank you all for reading!!


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